Jones: Athens' legislative delegation lacks experience

Sunday

Jan 13, 2013 at 5:42 PM

ATLANTA -- Athens is sending a pretty green bunch to the Capitol for this year's state legislative session, but that doesn't mean it won't have some influence.

One advantage Athens has over most cities is the sentimental attachment so many politicians have to the University of Georgia. Almost every legislator either attended school there or has visited and watched a football game, and maybe even a concert.

Freshman Athens Reps. Spencer Frye, a Democrat, and Regina Quick, a Republican, were elected in November, each defeating a veteran lawmaker with substantial connections in Atlanta. Frye and Quick will join a class of 37 other freshmen at the bottom of the seniority ladder in the House of Representatives as the Georgia General Assembly convenes today.

It will take years for these freshmen to develop the same kinds of relationships as their predecessors. Frye has the added challenge of being a member of the minority Democratic presence in the legislature.

Rep. Chuck Williams, R-Watkinsville, is little more than a freshman because he's only served one year, after winning a special election to replace Hank Huckaby following his appointment as university system chancellor. Huckaby was himself a freshman at the time, but he previously had a long career in state government that made him well-known to the governor and other leaders.

Huckaby, while not able to vote or introduce bills in the legislature, still provides Athens with a voice at the Capitol. In addition, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens from Hull, Secretary of State Brian Kemp from Athens, Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols of Bogart and Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black from nearby Commerce also contribute to the area's power base in the state capital.

In the Senate, Republican Bill Cowsert of Athens has held considerable influence in past sessions, first as one of then-Gov. Sonny Perdue's floor leaders and later as one of eight senators effectively holding the reins of power in the Senate as chairman of the GOP caucus. But caucus elections last month put someone else as chairman and took power away from the eight senators to restore it to Lt. Gov Casey Cagle. We'll see when committee assignments are announced whether Cagle has decided to punish Cowsert for being part of the group that had taken his power.

The other senator representing part of Athens, Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville, is only beginning his second term, but he'll have seniority over this year's five freshmen senators. The smaller size of the Senate gives him more influence because personal relationships are made faster there, and because even freshmen in the majority party get to chair subcommittees. When this year's assignments come out, he's likely to be chairing a minor committee.

Though not formally members of the Athens delegation, the region benefits from some long-time veterans in the House from neighboring districts, including Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, Rep. Mickey Channell, R-Greensboro, Rep. Tom McCall, R-Elberton and Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson. Each chairs a committee, and of this list, England has the most sway as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which determines how taxpayer money is spent - critical to a city like Athens, where so many people work for state government.

Reputations earned in previous legislative sessions don't disappear, but the start of a new two-year term of the General Assembly always brings a hopeful atmosphere of a fresh start. Promises of cooperation echo in the hallways. Officeholders greet each other with smiles, pats on the back and warm handshakes. And the legislative meter is rolled back to zero.

Lawmakers have the opportunity to build on their friendships and good reputations or repair blemishes from previous encounters. New issues lead to new coalitions.

When the gavel falls at 10 a.m. today to open the session, 233 legislators will look forward with optimism and expectation that good bills will pass based on merit rather than politics. They'll inevitably be disappointed at some point, but they at least begin with hope.

• Walter Jones, the Atlanta bureau chief for Morris News Service, has been covering Georgia politics since 1998. Follow him on Twitter @MorrisNews or contact him at walter.jones@morris.com or at (404) 589-8424.

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